AFTER ordering a takeaway from Polash, I was told to collect the food in 40 minutes.

A fair amount of time to wait but knowing that was going to be made from scratch, I didn’t mind the wait.

To clear the airways I went for a keema madras and pilau rice. I have discovered that mincemeat is always a good option when you don’t fancy chicken.

And for those who’ve never tried keema, it’s an underrated dish that tastes great, jam-packed with flavour, made with red chillies and turmeric, with a slightly sweet and sour taste.

It would be a sin not to order a garlic naan to mop up the curry with this dish, so I did.

And, sorry to those online food critics, who may have slated me in the past for ordering chips with my curry, but I couldn’t resist, bringing my order to just under £12.

Picking up the food I noticed that people had driven from the other side of Darwen to pick up their food from Polash, which has to be a good thing given the competition from the award-winning Indian restaurants and takeaways in the area.

I could see the curry being dished up on my arrival.

The portion was generous and would certainly have served two people, with complementary popadoms and a little side salad.